Looking for a new DSLR camera. Suggestions?

Alyssa C

I have a Sony alpha 200 DSLR I bought 3 years ago as a beginner. It's 10.2 mega pixels and doesn't capture sharp enough images. It takes horrible pictures in low light (lots of noise). I looked at the Cannon EOS T2i online and it has 18.1 mega pixels and the aperture can open to f3.5 which is better than the one I have now which stops at f5.6 and it has a more sensitive ISO (12800).

Any suggestions for other DSLRs that are under $1,000 that take really great pictures?
forgot to mention: I'm definitely not a beginner photographer, not an expert but I can handle a pretty detailed camera. I'm looking for a more professional camera (which probably doesn't exist for under $1,000 but its worth asking)

Answer
If your images are NOT sharp using a 10 mp dSLR, the problem is in your technique, NOT the cameras fault. In 2002 many of us were shooting professionally using 6 mp sensored cameras providing our clients with very sharp images.

Shooting at high ISO's will require some post processing as well as setting up your camera a little

Here is a shot that was taken at 3200 ISO with the high ISO NR turned on in the cameras menu.

http://s862.photobucket.com/albums/ab182/fotomanaz/Answers%20album/?action=view&current=iCYO_9697c.jpg

As you can see, different camera companies handle high ISO's with different levels of success. The image in the link has been reduced to a 600x400 @ 72 DPI for posting, so if you attempt to enlarge it, it will become pixelated, however the original 3872x2592 @ 300 DPI shows very little noise in the shadow area when compared to the amount of grain one would find if the photo was shot using 3200 ISO black and white film. Expecting less noise would require you to buy a camera like the Nikon D3s that can produce extremely low noise at ISO's of 12,800, two stops faster than the image posted using a D300

You are going to probably have to enter a store with your own SD card and actually test the Nikon D3100, Canon T2i and a comparable Pentax and Sony camera shooting at ISO's of at least 3200 on each camera. With that data in hand, view each cameras results to see which one handles high ISO's the best.

Finally: Adobe Lightroom 3 has a noise reduction feature that can be used when processing RAW files that works quite well. As a shooter, you should probably have Lightroom on your computer to enhance you image work-flow in any case

A note on pixel count as it seems you have carried the P&S mentality of "more is better" with you into the dSLR venue.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm

Here is a link that will allow you to see how lab tests rate all the various dSLR sensors (and some P&S) in critical areas. High ISO performance is one of those areas tested.

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Camera-Sensor/Sensor-rankings

As you can see, the lowly Nikon D300 that was able to produce the sample image is listed at number 38 on the list and in theory, most cameras listed above it, should work quite well under low light conditions (high ISO settings)

A final note: Here is a comparison between your Alpha 200, the aforementioned Nikon D300 and new Nikon D3100. As you can see, you can expect better performance from the D3100 at high ISO than the other two.

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Camera-Sensor/Compare/Compare-sensors/(appareil1)/342%7C0/(appareil2)/440%7C0/(appareil3)/664%7C0/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Sony/(brand2)/Nikon/(brand3)/Nikon

What are some good cameras?

Emily

I need a good,inexpensive camera. I am publicity officer for my thespians club and I need to buy a new camera for pictures of events and meetings. I'm not much of a camera guru so I don't really know what to look for. I'm a teenager with limited resources so please don't recommend anything more $150

Answer
What you really need is a good dSLR which can shoot at ISO's of 3200 with low noise and a fast zoom lens like a 24-70 mm f/2.8 AND about five years experience shooting the performing arts.

Minimum cost? Nikon D3200, under $700. 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens, under $1,900. Experience. You cannot buy it other than to hire a working pro.

What to do?

$150 will buy you an entry level P&S camera, but I don't know how you will be able to shoot using just stage lighting with such a camera. They have tiny sensors (thus poor low light performance), limited optical zoom range (3x to 5x) and all the controls are automatic, so you will have very little control over what the cameras does. What does this mean. Usually a lot of blurred images caused by camera movement during long (longer than 1/250th second) exposures which you have no control.

You can set the cameras white balance to incandescent so that the lighting matches closely to how the stage manager set up the lighting

Here is a link for you to do some research. After you have picked out three or four cameras you think may do the trick, visit a store that sells those cameras armed with an SD card so you can test them at high ISO's like you will need to use at the theater. (3200 or 6400 ISO).

Take the card home with you and view the results. The camera with the least noise is the one for you.

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